Don't Ever Stick It

You want an attractive building. You choose an array of high-end interior and exterior finishes to present the appearance of quality in order to catch the eye of the best tenants or buyers.

Meanwhile, the structural integrity of the building, which is not immediately apparent, is equally important. You sense it in the firmness of the floor, the satisfying thunk of a closing door, and acoustics so pure you can hear a cat walking on carpet.

You don’t get that solid sense of security from stick-framed construction, but you do get it with a Polycrete ICF/concrete structure.

Wood construction perched on a CMU block foundation is not the low cost way to build your mid-rise multi family structure. The building must achieve mandated sound transmission of STC 50 or better as well as code minimum structural strength and fire resistance.

The design of your building has to minimize complexity and be achievable with the workforce on hand. As you know, in order to keep costs down, shortcuts are sometimes taken -- details not followed; unintended consequences rear their ugly head.

Four stories of stick framing can yield a building with a slew of problems that result from unnecessary complexity.

Moisture infiltration resulting from shortcuts causes mold, rot, and high HVAC bills as damp insulation fails. Ineffective acoustics between party walls are a headache that may not be revealed until the walls are closed in and fixes can be very costly.

Experts have found that your wood-framed building can settle more than half an inch per floor. That's more than two inches over four stories. This can cause havoc with plumbing, siding and other building components that do not move with the wood.

Stick-framed mid-rise buildings have to be designed with costly materials and details in order to prevent failure of those component systems when the shrinkage occurs.

You avoid these extra costs with a Polycrete ICF/Concrete structural system.

A Polycrete Insulated Concrete Form wall system along with cast in place or pre-cast planks will reduce construction materials, time and sub-trades. It will also leave no hidden areas for mold, rot, or critters.

Choose Polycrete ICF and you will have a lower cost building that is more durable, more energy efficient, with lower maintenance and insurance costs -- one that will generate rent for generations after a comparable wood structure has been bulldozed as blight.

You may think that wood is the best way to put up a mid-rise multifamily structure, but like the second little piggy who also thought stick framing was the answer to all his housing needs, it's not the most effective, nor even the low cost way to build...